Elements of Banquet Planning
Banquets require a lot of coordination and planning to ensure a smooth service for your diners. Here are the things you need to know to organise a successful banquet.
1. Equipment
Knowing what equipment you need for catering and banquet events will help determine your output capacity. Here are some of the equipment you’ll need:
-
Back of house (BOH): Front of house (FOH): - Gas stove
- Oven
- Griller
- Tilting skillet
- Combi oven
- Wok stove
- Griddle
- Industrial pots and pans
- Food warmer
- Tray racks
- Glass racks
- Dish caddy
- Trays
- Liquid dispenser
- Ice caddy
- Chafing dishes
- Platters
- Cooking station
2. Flow of operations
To run a banquet, you must consider every aspect of it and be able to see the big picture of the whole event. If you plan to set up and service a functional banquet, you must consider what time guests and staff must arrive and how they flow through the space.
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Banquet event order (BEO) BOH FOH - The coodinator and guest agrees on details for the event.
- BEO is given to BOH.
- The BOH performsforecast, budgeting, and purchasing based on the BEO.
- It is also in charge of preparing the food and drinks.
- The FOH delivers prepared items from the BOH to guests.
- FOH staff also makes sure operations are smooth.
3. Kitchen management
Managing the kitchen is a crucial aspect of banquet preparation because food is one of the event’s highlights. A well-run kitchen is efficient and productive, so take a look at these important considerations that will help manage your kitchen for banquets:
- Food safety
- Menu planning
- Forecasting of ingredients and supplies
- Purchasing
- Food preparation
- Storage
- Holding
- Dishing out
4. Service
Timing is very important for banquets because everything is happening in real-time. Things need to flow from the kitchen to the dining area, and different types of banquets require different types of service. Here are the important areas to note:
- Organising the banquet team
- Managing the meal service
- Flow of service
- Ensuring smooth service
5. Handling customer complaints
Due to their size, banquets present greater margins of error and complaints may arise. Here are some pointers to take note of when handling complaints:
- Create a system for feedback
- Record and process
- Acknowledge
- Analyse
- Follow up with the customer
You can also learn more about the proper ways to handle customer complaints.
6. Trends and developments
By keeping up with the trends and developments in the buffet and banqueting market, you can stay ahead of the competition and discover new ideas that enhance your restaurant. These are the current trends in the buffet and banqueting market today:
- Live serving/cooking stations
- Dessert buffet spreads with trendy items such as macarons, cupcakes etc.
- Local dishes with a twist
Banquet planning can be an enjoyable process for you and your team as long as you plan for all these aspects. When the banquet runs smoothly, your guests will notice and appreciate all the effort put into the event. Have your checklist ready and aim for success!
Congratulations, you’ve completed the 6 Steps to Organising a Banquet topic!
Pick a related topic from the Banqueting module, or go back to the Chefmanship Academy modules page.
